Yellen, Ben, 1907-

Historical Background

Ben Yellen, Imperial Valley physician and social activist, brought a lawsuit against the Imperial Irrigation Water District (IID) that asserted that the IID was violating reclamation law by giving project water to landowners owning more acres of land than the law permitted. In the mid-1960s, he was able to persuade attorney Arthur Brunwasser to join him in a lawsuit against the IID. Yellen reportedly found Brunwasser's name in a newspaper that stated Brunwasser was defending one of Cesar Chavez' union organizers arrested for entering a rancher's land to organize the farmworkers.

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